Think back to the last time you had a doctors appointment. How did it affect your day? You most likely had to free up a substantial amount of time in order to drive through lunchtime traffic, wait half an hour in the waiting room, wait another 20 minutes in the examination room, see the doctor, and drive back to work all to be told, “you have a cold.” Like you, I find this process very frustrating not to mention inefficient. Fortunately, healthcare companies have acknowledged this inconvenience leading to a revolutionary new way to visit your physician. With the introduction of e-visits and video visits, you no longer have to sacrifice your time to check on your health.

Recently, I am sure many of you have seen the Novant Health commercial advertising e-visits and video visits as a new way to see your doctor from anywhere. While this technology is new to the healthcare sector, it has led me to question why they are so behind the general technology advancement curve. Face-to-face video communications have been popular since 2003 when Skype first surfaced and businesses across the globe have utilized relatively low cost, high capacity video conferencing since the late 90’s. Why the push to innovate now?

With the increasing competition between healthcare companies, it is no wonder why many are turning to telehealth as a way to differentiate themselves from others. Telehealth not only makes doctors visits more practical for those who are too busy to see the doctor, but it allows companies such as Novant Health to reach the rural patient who may not have a means of getting to a doctor within a reasonable distance. With the use of e-visits and video visits, all it takes is an internet connection and you are instantly in the same room as your doctor.

Although this innovation is convenient and practical, do you think it will eventually replace the more personal face-to-face visits that we are accustomed to? Could you see yourself using this technology?

Sources:

• ·      http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/consumer-health/in-depth/telehealth/art-20044878
• ·      http://www.novanthealth.org/home/patients--visitors/mychart/e-visits-and-video-visits.aspx
• ·      https://www.healthpartners.com/public/coverage-criteria/telehealth

Mobile Technology in Healthcare

The launch of the iPad in 2010 also launched the healthcare industry into a mobile revolution. According to Manhattan research, tablet use among U.S. physicians "doubled in one year with 62% of doctors reporting that they regularly use a tablet for professional purposes. Half of them use iPads in point of care situations involving patients.” Since that report, mobile technology has advanced rapidly, and its use has grown faster than most expected, infiltrating just about every aspect of healthcare.

Some of the ways medical professionals utilize mobile technology are:

·      Accessing electronic medical records (EMR):  Doctors now can access patient records with the swipe of a finger on their tablet. This saves them from printing out and carrying around paper copies of medical history. This also allows them to update the records more quickly and efficiently, aiding in collaboration with others on the medical team.  

·      Research and Referencing: Mobile devices allow medical professionals to quickly and easily access resources like Medscape Mobile, an app by WebMD with thousands of free drug, disease, and procedure references. The days of thumbing through huge volumes of medical references are over with searchable online databases at one’s fingertips.

·      Diagnostic and Treatment Aids: Hospital systems are becoming equipped with the technology to instantly upload test results, X-Ray images, and more to a doctor’s mobile device. This allows them to get real-time updates on patients remotely and make critical decisions more quickly. There are also mobile apps that calculate drug dosages

·      Communication: Tablets can be an excellent tool for communicating with patients. Applications such as Skeletal System Pro III provide interactive charts and images that doctors and patients can view together while discussing diagnosis and treatment.

Besides the benefits of improved care and communication explained above, patients also enjoy additional benefits from mobile technology. Among these are:

·      More accessible information: Healthcare systems involve so much more than just the actual medical information, and they can be hard to navigate for the uninitiated. One hospital in Singapore has installed iPads in kiosks around the hospital where visitors and patients can look up hospital information and find their way around the building. The app VueMe gives individuals the ability to view their medical images. It is not intended for self-diagnosis, but allows for easy access to images for doctor visits.

·      Empowerment: Some mobile apps allow individuals to take steps in their own healthcare, alleviating some dependence on professionals and the cost of doctor visits. The mobile app BiliCam allows parents to screen their newborn baby for jaundice at home. The app has been found to be more accurate than some hospital equipment and can alert the parent if a hospital visit is necessary. Apps like these are making it more and more feasible for individuals to take charge of their own health and take preventative action.

There are some limitations to mobile technology, but advances are constantly being made to remedy these. For instance, the lack of a keyboard is a major hindrance in taking notes and updating records for many doctors. However, one company is working on a voice recognition software that will allow for speech-to-text technology that will eliminate the need for typing. Another major concern for hospitals is the security risk presented by mobile devices, not only for the actual devices which are small and easy to steal, but also because of the sensitive data on them.  The Medopad application being developed in the UK can be set up so that when a device leaves the hospital network, patient information would no longer be available on it.

While some are concerned that pervasive use of technology could get in the way of doctor-patient relationships, making healthcare automated and less human, it could be argued that the many benefits of mobile technology far surpass the costs. In fact, in the hands of a caring and conscientious doctor, they should only improve the quality of care.  

How has mobile technology changed your healthcare experience?